NEED EYES - UTI What Advice Can U Give

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ourboypinky

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Hi,
Our diabetic cat, Pinky was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection yesterday. His numbers have been high, when able to get, and was drinking lots of water again. Still on FF wet food. He had been brought to a internal medicine specialist for additional help with treating his diabetes yesterday. At any rate, a sterile urine sample was taken directly from the bladder, and yes, something began to grow in the petri dish in less than 24 hours. Stats: sugars in urine were around 1000. No ketones. Pinky's temperature of 100.2 degrees. We are being asked to give approval for lab analysis ($170.00). Total bill yesterday $271 for exam, urine collection, ph strip test. $$ are getting tight and we want to make smart decisions.

Are we correct in understanding that a lab analysis is needed at this point or should a broad spectrum antibiotic be prescribed instead?
A PLI test is also being recommended in near future although the classic symptoms of crying, weight loss and vomiting are not present. Might this be given down the road if something changes? Just looking for an opinion from the board on these two issues. TIA.
 
Have you read the section on Dr. Lisa's web site about urinary issues? http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth She explains the difference between a urinary infection and urinary inflammation there as well as how to treat.

You can add extra water to the canned fod to ensure that your cat is getting plenty of water. Diabetic cats have sugar in the urine which bacteria love. Keeping the urine diluted with lots of water will help.

If you must use an antiobiotic, do not use Convenia (thhe injection that lasts for 2 weeks or so) or Metacam (Meloxicam). These can cause serious health issues in cats.
 
We have read Dr. Lisa's advice/info on UT info. He has been drinking in excess of 1-1/2 cups water every day, plus we add water to his wet food as well, so he is staying hydrated to date. Our main question has to do with what do we do now, ask for a broad spectrum antibiotic? Pay the $170 and have them send the culture to the lab and find out what exactly the bacteria is? Or, just have the broad spectrum antibiotic prescribed and leave it at that?
What about the PLI test they say we should do in the next few weeks? Or are these additional test just unnecessary ways to generate income for the vet?
 
I'd go for the culture to identify which bacteria it is and get the right antibiotic. There isn't really a good broad spectrum antibiotic and you'll get better results. Double check my logic with the vet to make sure
 
Did the vet see bacteria in the urine? If yes then I would opt for the antibiotics like Clavamax or Baytril without the culture based on your tight financial situation.
The fPli would be advisable in the future if the symptoms persist.
 
I have three males that get infections periodically, and each takes a different antibiotic- Clavamox, Baytril, and amoxicillin (sp?). What works on one doesn't work on the others (found that out through trial and error). You are lucky he isn't blocked. Infections stink, but blockages are awful. And, as a previous poster stated, some vets like to prescribe Metacam as a pain reliever (so they can urinate); there is an entire website, as someone on this board shared with me the other day, devoted to the dangers of Metacam (www.metacamkills.com). There are other pain reliever options out there.

Once you get the lab work done and know which antibiotic you need, you should, in the future, just be able to call your vet and tell them Pinky has an infection, and hopefully they'll just prescribe what you need. That's what my clinic does.
 
Judah had a very stubborn UTI the first of this year. We had a terrible time getting him well. He was on 3 different antibiotics plus something for inflammation in the bladder. The antibiotic that finally did for him was zeniquin. when he went on this one, the improvement was fast and very obvious.

Hope your kitty is better soon. UTIs are no fun for kitty or owner to treat and try to get well.
 
Thank you for your kind responses. My wife and I just spent a sleepless night monitoring and calling clinics after finding blood in Pinky's urine. We rushed to pick up Clavamox and pain medicine at the emergency clinic in our area. Long story short, Pinky's urination (color and amount) returned to normal. The culture results are due back next week. We had a great fear of a possible blockage occuring with our cat, but there now appear to be no alarming warning signs, i.e. crying, straining, hiding, etc. We will continue to keep a very close watch...
 
In the urinalysis they did to confirm the UTI what were the results for the pH and crystals? They are usually included in thd basic test and it is crystals caused by too high/low pH that usually cause blockages. If he has no crystals and pH in thd normal range it's just the UTI to worry about
 
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